(19)
(11) EP 0 880 102 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
02.02.2000 Bulletin 2000/05

(43) Date of publication A2:
25.11.1998 Bulletin 1998/48

(21) Application number: 98109087.1

(22) Date of filing: 19.05.1998
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)7: G06F 17/60, G06F 1/00
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE
Designated Extension States:
AL LT LV MK RO SI

(30) Priority: 21.05.1997 JP 13129897

(71) Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8010 (JP)

(72) Inventors:
  • Sakaguchi, Toshiaki
    Takatsuki-shi (JP)
  • Akifuji, Shunsuke
    Wako-shi (JP)
  • Tsuji, Hiroshi
    Itami-shi (JP)
  • Kimura, Michiaki
    Yokohama-shi (JP)

(74) Representative: Strehl Schübel-Hopf & Partner 
Maximilianstrasse 54
80538 München
80538 München (DE)

   


(54) Interoperable workflow management system


(57) An interoperable workflow management system controls an information disclosing range of a workflow case to prevent transmission delay even when the communication path has a small transmission capacity such that cancellation of the case is guaranteed and the status of processing of the case in its destination can be immediately known. To implement the system, workflow irrelevant data (166) or pointer information indicating the data is selectively transmitted to the destination in accordance with the workflow management system thereof. At cancellation of the case, the irrelevant data is replaced with canceling data (184). When a request including pointer information for the workflow irrelevant data is received from the destination system, it is assumed that the workflow case is in process.






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